It’s a weird feeling, right?
Nearly a decade has passed since the Maple Leafs were absent from the podium on Day One. It was the Phil Kessel trade, and the two first-rounders his services required, that caused then-Leafs GM Brian Burke to begin his 2010 draft class at 43rd overall.
The player he selected? Brad Ross. The same Brad Ross whose zero career NHL games eventually led to him spending the 2018-19 season in Germany’s second-tier league.
Really, the last time the Maple Leafs lacked a first-round pick, hockey itself was a different sport entirely.